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De Soto, Kansas - 13 schools
An equity score of 16/100 ranks De Soto #238 of 250 districts in Kansas (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,364 per pupil, De Soto ranks #272 of 285 Kansas districts by per-pupil spending (Kansas districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
7,441
Total Enrollment
13
Schools
$11,364
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
De Soto operates 13 public schools serving 7,441 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Kansas. The school portfolio breaks down into 9 combined, 3 middle, 1 high schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Johnson County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,364 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the bottom 29 of 285 Kansas districts by per-pupil spending. See how Kansas compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 32.9% local, 60.8% state, and 6.4% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 16/100, ranked #238 of 250 in Kansas against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 13 schools offering Advanced Placement (41 AP courses district-wide), a 418.7:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 13.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 76.9% White, 11.2% Hispanic or Latino, 4.7% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Starside Elem, with a diversity index of 54.5/100.
Its largest campus is Mill Valley High School, enrolling 1,432 students (20% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Virtual Education Program, at 26 students, a 55x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Mill Valley High School accounts for 19.2% of all De Soto student enrollment
That concentration means De Soto-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
De Soto school enrollment varies 55× across entities
De Soto school enrollment ranges from 26 students (lowest) to 1,432 students (highest), a spread of 1,406 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity, the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
De Soto student-counselor ratio is 419:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
De Soto chronic absenteeism rate is 13.0% — low (typically associated with lower-than-average attendance disruption; districts in this range often have attendance interventions, robust transportation, or smaller catchments that reduce barriers)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
De Soto has 13 schools, including 9 combined, 3 middle, 1 high. Total enrollment is 7,441 students.
How much does De Soto spend per student?
De Soto spends $11,364 per student. The district has an equity score of 16/100, ranking #238 in Kansas.
What is the demographic composition of De Soto?
De Soto students are 76.9% White, 11.2% Hispanic or Latino, 4.7% African American, 2.1% Asian, averaged across 13 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for De Soto?
De Soto has an equity score of 16/100, ranking #238 out of 250 districts in Kansas.